Daniil Medvedev “finds the way again” after toppling Alex de Minaur in Shanghai

🖥️📲The Match in 15 Minutes: Daniil Medvedev def. Alex de Minaur, Shanghai QF

“After the US Open, I’m trying to be good,” Daniil Medvedev pleaded with a chair umpire last week in Beijing.

Medvedev was referring to his behavior, in particular the rabble-rousing, nearly riot-starting performance he put on in a defeat to Benjamin Bonzi in New York two months ago. But his words could have had a double meaning: He’s also trying to be a good player again.

Once ranked No. 1, and a fixture in the Top 10 since 2018, the Russian has dropped 13 spots this season, to No. 18. A six-time Grand Slam finalist, and one-time champion, he went 1-4 at the majors in 2025, losing in the first round three times. The nadir came after his Open loss, when he hung his head in abject despair, smashed one of his racquets, and tossed the rest into the crowd.

Read More: On Daniil Medvedev’s US Open mayhem, and Benjamin Bonzi’s bonkers—and deserved—win

During the season I had wondered, in this age of young aggressors like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, whether Medvedev’s defensive, labor-intensive style was still viable, especially for someone who will turn 30 soon. After his Open meltdown, I wondered if his career as a top player might be over.

“It was just a little bit of desperation,” he told reporters this week in Shanghai when asked about that moment.

Of course that’s not all Medvedev, who is a showman in his own unique and sometimes self-destructive way, was thinking as he sent his racquets into the audience.

“At the same time I was like, ‘The fans are probably going to love it.’”

Medvedev’s loss to Bonzi didn’t turn out to be a sign of his imminent collapse. Instead, it was a pivot point and a wake-up call. After the Open, he split with his coach, and sideline punching bag, Gilles Cervara, after eight years together. He has since hired Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, and he likes what they’ve done on the Asian swing so far.

Read More: Daniil Medvedev hits the practice court with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke in Monte Carlo

“When you’re 30, you need someone not to show you the way, but to help you find the way again,” Medvedev says. “Right now what I found in Thomas and Rohan, it’s great. We have fun on the court, we have fun off the court at the same time. If they need to tell you something, they’re not scared to tell me.”

Johansson seemed to tell Medvedev just the right thing, at just the right time, in his quarterfinal with Alex de Minaur on Friday.

Medvedev won the first set 6-4, and saved a break point to make it 4-4 in the second. But he was teetering a bit physically in the high heat—the same heat that had made him cramp twice already in China. Johansson told him, from what I could hear, that anytime he got a ball around the service line, he should “dictate.” From 15-30, Medvedev did just that. He flattened out a forehand and put it on the baseline for a winner, and then did the same with a backhand two points later to break. One more comfortable service hold and he was into the semis for the second straight week.

“I was really clutch in important moments,” Medvedev said. “I was hitting the ball great, I was putting him under pressure. The second set was tough, tight, but I managed to really bring the best of me in the last two games.”

What’s different about this Medvedev than the one we saw for the first eight months of the year? Against De Minaur, he tried to use his octopus-like athleticism for offense as well as defense. He ran around to hit more forehands, and ended up with 27 winners, while winning 79 percent of first-serve points. Those are good numbers against a speedy wallboard like De Minaur.

More telling, perhaps, Medvedev was 10 of 11 at net. He stretched out his long right arm to put one volley away, and deftly measured another short one for a winner. He has never been a net-rusher; in fact, he’s famous for retreating to the baseline when he has a chance to move in. But his wingspan makes it a natural place for him to finish points, and, just as important for someone approaching his 30s, end them more quickly.

When you’re 30, you need someone not to show you the way, but to help you find the way again. Right now what I found in Thomas and Rohan... Medvedev on new coaches

Afterward, Medvedev was asked if his good run of form this week came as a surprise.

“I have to be honest I did expect this,” he said. “I played great in Beijing. I was serving for the match to be in the final.”

Medvedev can be an exasperating figure. He’s always a couple of bad games away from flying off the handle, berating his coaches and the chair umpire, and throwing, as he says, a “tantrum.” But tennis is still better with him than without him. Off the court he’s a thoughtful, engaging person and a great interview, and at least his tantrums usually come with a viral-worthy quip or two. At 29, he’s officially a (young) millennial, but irreverent Gen Xers recognize one of our own, too.

Medvedev, who won this tournament in 2019, says he loves “everything" about China, Shanghai, and its courts. He’ll get another chance to play there, against Arthur Rinderknech in the semis, on Saturday.